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The Latest Barron Prize NewsAdvice from Those in the Know: Recent Winners Share Tips for Building a Stellar Application
We love this busy time of year at the Barron Prize as students work to compile their applications by our April 15 deadline. For applicants looking for a bit of advice, we gladly offer tips from those who would know – our recent winners! We hope these words of wisdom from some of our 2024 young heroes inspire and encourage this year’s applicants. We can’t wait to learn how they’re changing the world!
- Don’t be afraid to tell your story in your own words. Be authentic and genuine. This is not an essay for school—this is an essay for you. To actually implement this strategy, I’d recommend writing your first draft of your essay by voice-typing, where you’re telling your story out loud.
- Start early. Get some words, bullet points, copy-pasted prior essays—really, anything—onto a Google doc asap. Avoid the empty page, because psychologically, you’re more likely to not procrastinate if you’ve “already done work for it.”
- Ask for help. Share your drafts with a trusted adult or friend who’s familiar with your project. They can run the “Does this really sound like you?” radar on it.
- Be thorough in your story. Don’t leave stuff out because it seems discontinuous or tangential to your story. True journeys are never linear, perfectly played out and predictable; they often have sidesteps and tangents and backsteps or jumps or changes—so don’t be afraid to share them in your essays. Any sort of information about you is important information, and it will only add more color and depth to your profile.
- Tell Your Story Passionately: Focus on why your work matters and the impact it has had. Be true to yourself and your genuine passion for what you do and make it shine in your application.
- Show, Don’t Just Tell: Use concrete examples and numbers to highlight your achievements.
- Be Clear and Concise: Judges read many applications—make yours easy to understand and compelling.
- Highlight Leadership & Impact: Demonstrate how you’ve led change and inspired others.
- Ask for Feedback: Have a mentor or friend review your application to proofread and catch any gaps.
- Share both your wins and your losses! A journey of changemaking doesn’t come without challenges and perseverance. Share how you were able to turn idea into action.
- Express yourself. What sets yourself apart is well… you! Let your personality, passion, and ambition take center stage in your application.
- How do you make an impact through your efforts? How do you plan to grow your impact? Share statistics and how you are working to change the world, both currently and in the future.
- Be unique. It’s ok to be different and have a focus area that may not be the normal or average. Set yourself apart.
- Be honest. It’s also ok to be proud of yourself and your accomplishments. It’s not bragging even though some may see it that way. Also, point out your weaknesses. No one is perfect and does it right the first time all the time.
- Go for it! You for sure can’t win if you don’t apply. The Barron Prize funding has made an incredible difference to me and funding is so hard to come by as a young person. Believe in yourself and see what happens.
- Tell your story from beginning to now! Share not only how your project started, but why it started. Was it born from a passion you had since you were a kid? Was an event in your local community the catalyst? You’ve spent so much time working on this, share the reasons behind it : ).
- Start working on your application early (especially asking your recommenders!) Write up a summary of your project for them to refresh their memory and have a candid conversation with them about what points of your project and journey you believe to be the most important, and that you would like them to showcase.
- Have fun with it! This is an opportunity for you to put into writing something that you care deeply about. Be genuine and honest in your answers and don’t be afraid to display your personality!